MAYOR and PCC Attend RUGBY STREET PASTORS’ 6th COMMISSIONING SERVICE

On Sunday 22nd May, another 10 Street Pastors, having completed the majority of their Ascension Trust training sessions (totalling some 50 hours), were commissioned at a church service held at Rugby Christian Fellowship. Before introducing the new Street Pastors, Pete Hickey (the Rugby Street Pastors’ Co-ordinator) explained that the purpose of Street Pastors is to provide a Christian presence on the streets in local communities, in order to care, to listen, and provide practical help, to any of the patrons of the night time economy in need of assistance. He went on to explain that here in Rugby we have teams patrolling every Friday & Saturday night from 10.00pm – approximately 4.00am the next morning. We have 39 Street Pastors, all unpaid volunteers, making up 8 separate teams.

After the service, the new Street Pastors, some of the existing Street Pastors and church leaders were joined by the Mayor – Cllr Mrs Sally Bragg, Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe TD, Sean Lawson, PC Rebecca Bailey and Rev Michael Bochenski plus families & friends , for a celebration buffet meal .

The Mayor said

“It was a real pleasure to attend the commissioning service and meet the dedicated new recruits who have attended hours of training. They will now join experienced pastors for weekend evenings and into the early hours, to make a positive difference. The pastors care for night time revellers in the town, keeping them safe and offering help in an unconditional and non-judgemental way.

Their work is inspirational – having observed their work recently”.

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “I was delighted to attend the commissioning service and to see the 10 new Pastors being sworn in and to meet the rest of the team of volunteers. It was a very enjoyable evening and I was given a very warm welcome by everyone involved.

“I am pleased to see the success of the Rugby scheme, which is proving something of a beacon for other areas to emulate. Overall, the work that the Street Pastors do is very valuable and helps to reinforce the work of the police in keeping people safe in our town centres as they enjoy the night time economy. I heard a lot about their work during my visit, but I am pleased to have been invited to join the Rugby Street Pastors on patrol later this year so I can see and experience the valuable work they do first hand.”